The subject matter herein relates generally to an electrical connector having contacts for transmitting data signals or power between different electrical components.
Electrical connectors are used to interconnect different electrical components to transmit current therebetween in the form of power or data signals. Electrical components that may be interconnected include circuit boards, wires, other electrical connectors, devices, power supplies, and the like. Electrical connectors have interfaces that are configured to mate with other complementary interfaces. A connector interface includes conductive elements and typically non-conductive elements that engage another interface of an electrical component. For example, a connector interface may include an electrical contact that directly engages a conductive element of the electrical component. In addition, the connector interface may include structurally-defined features (e.g., surfaces along a side of the connector, guide features, housing cavities, latches, etc.) that are configured to facilitate a mating operation between the electrical connector and the component. The structurally-defined features may also facilitate maintaining the interconnection after the mating operation so that the components do not inadvertently disengage. For instance, a card connector may have interior surfaces that define a slot and that are shaped to direct a circuit board as the circuit board is inserted into the slot. The interior surfaces effectively align the contact pads of the circuit board with the electrical contacts of the card connector and hold the circuit board in a designated orientation after the mating operation.
Connector interfaces of conventional electrical connectors, however, are typically configured to engage only one type of electrical component. For example, one type of connector interface may include insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) that receive insulated wires and slice through the insulation of the wires to directly engage a conductor surrounded by the insulation. Another type of connector interface may be the connector interface of the card connector described above. Card connectors typically include a slot that is dimensioned to receive a printed circuit board (PCB).
Because the connector interfaces of conventional electrical connectors are designed to engage only one type of electrical component, such electrical connectors lack versatility. Accordingly, it may be necessary for manufacturers to purchase several different types of electrical connectors for a single system. It may be less costly, however, for a manufacturer to purchase a greater number of a more versatile connector and use that connector for multiple purposes.
Accordingly, there is a need for an electrical connector having a connector interface that is capable of mating with different types of electrical components.